For the longest time, his name was unknown. And then he became known mostly for having, well, an unusual name.

You know any other Yorvits? Thought not.

Gradually, though, catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s name started popping up in the darndest of places. Atop the division standings. In the playoffs and League Championship Series. World Series, plural.

Year after year. Place after place.

Coincidence?

“You know,” said Torrealba, now in his second stint with the Colorado Rockies, “that’s a good question.”

Torrealba technically was still a rookie when first appearing on the roster of a World Series team, the 2002 San Francisco Giants. The Rockies remain the only team that’s never won a division title, but Torrealba was with them for their incredible late run to the National League pennant in 2007, starting behind the plate in that World Series.

The Padres have had one winning record in the last five years, the season of 2010, which happened to be Torrealba’s one with San Diego. He set a single-season record that still stands, a .312 average at Petco Park, the highest ever by a Padres player in more than 150 at bats. He also led NL catchers with his .996 fielding percentage.

“That was an awesome year for me and for the (Padres) organization," said Torrealba. "We proved a lot of people wrong that year. They were talking about payroll, how low it was, and we should be last. We wound up one game short of playoffs.

“It was awesome, an awesome team. We showed up every day ready to beat somebody.”

At the time, Torrealba alternated with young Nick Hundley, who began that season with just 138 major league games under his belt. Working with one of the majors' premier pitching staffs, Torrealba had the best catcher's ERA in baseball, Hundley the sixth-best in the NL.

“Loved Yorvi, love Yorvi,” said Hundley. “He’s great with both the Latin players and the American players. He sort of bridges the divide in that aspect. At the same time, he knows how to win, knows how to call games. He really knows how to call games.

“He calls games to lineups, so guys like Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Matt Kemp don’t come up one more time to face the closer. He’s calling games in the seventh with the lead with that in mind, just to make sure we don’t face those guys again in the ninth. He’s very in-depth.”

When the Padres didn’t want to reward Torrealba with the bump in pay he thought he deserved, he went to the Texas Rangers, signing a two-year deal for $6.25 million. The first year of that contract – naturally -- the Rangers played in their first World Series.

Now, nobody is suggesting that Torrealba’s as much a key to his team’s success as a Buster Posey, but he’s an established backup catcher with quite a track record for being at the right place at the right time.

To be sure, the liveliest place in his team’s clubhouse has always been somewhere in close proximity to Torrealba’s locker, easily found by the amount of laughter before and after games. Donning the gear, though, he brought a feistiness that became a mark of that Padres club.